Panel Oks Hampton Bond Issue

HAMPTON — The Planning Commission gave its unanimous approval to a $34-million capital improvement plan Monday - with one notable exception.

C. Edward Knight III, a member of the commission and a city councilman, abstained on the vote.

Knight said he wasn't prepared to go on record in support of the plan, which would require the city to issue $29 million in general obligation bonds, until he had a chance to review the city's budget. He got the budget later in the day. It will be released publicly this morning.

"We may have to make some tough choices on the bond issue," Knight said. "I think this is going to be a very difficult budget for the city."

Knight specifically questioned the $8.2 million the plan earmarks for parks and recreation. Projects include $1.5 million to establish a major city park in Northampton, $1.2 million to convert elementary schools into neighborhood parks, $1.1 million for a downtown waterfront park, $2.8 million to turn two middle schools into community centers and $250,000 for a park adjacent to Darling Stadium.

Planning Director Joan Waclawski said the money for parks was needed because previous capital improvements budgets had not included much for parks. "Recreation projects kept getting bumped," Waclawski said. "They had gotten very little attention and it was time to catch up."

The plan also calls for spending $8 million for school repairs, $6 million for a new General District Court Building and $3.2 million for repairs at Hampton Coliseum.

In other matters, the commission approved a rezoning by Tempo Developers Inc. and Mayer Sarfan to build 87 townhouses and 60 single-family homes on the Harris River off of Allendale Road.

The developers already had approval to build the 17-acre development with 70 homes and 70 townhouses. The commission approved the new configuration, which allowed for a small open space at the entrance.

The commission also approved several new sections of the Michael's Woods subdivision off of Big Bethel Road in Northampton.

The new sections include 233 new single-family homes.

It also approved an application by Al Kline, Inc. to build a two-story office building on Settler's Landing Road west of Armistead Avenue.